Cybercriminals use clever phishing tricks
You know the drill. A text message from your bank or insurance company telling you that a substantial amount is being debited. And that you must log in to take action against it. However, when you log in using the link provided, you arrive at a fake website that looks suspiciously like the company's website. The entered credentials are immediately forwarded to the cybercriminals to plunder your entire account or use it for fraudulent purposes.
Whereas the messages used to be rather clumsy, cybercriminals have unfortunately become increasingly ingenious. For example, via spoofing, a technology that allows you to assume a false identity, they can change the sender's name to that of your bank. As a result, the message simply ends up among all your other text messages from your bank. And the chance that you will fall for it becomes even greater.
Anonymous Text protects against fake texts
At Anonymous Text, we are aware of the growing group of fraudsters who will do anything to scam people. We are clearly not a platform or service that can or wants to facilitate that kind of criminal activity. That is why we focus on maximum security.
Via our service, it is possible to choose from a list of standard 'fake senders', which obviously do not (or cannot) resemble those of a bank or other company. Sending anonymous or fake text messages via our service is safe and can be used without any problems.
Stay alert!
In addition, there are things you can do yourself. Do you get a message that you suspect might be a fake text message? Then pay attention to this:
- The message often looks like a message from your bank or phone provider. Still, the sender name is often just not right, or you find many grammatical errors and strangely worded texts.
- So always check your bank's or phone provider's website to see exactly which sender names they use.
- In most fake text messages, they try to get you to act immediately with a panicky message about money being transferred or someone trying to break into your account.
- Realize that a bank never asks you via a link in a text message or email if you want to log in.
- So never just click on a link and always be alert!
- More tips? Check out our article on how to stay safe on the internet.